Loan Company Blitzed by Calls in Phone Snafu

An attempt by the Legislature to reach out and solicit typical Californians for ideas on how to cut government costs got off to a bumpy start Wednesday when the announced toll-free number turned out to be a mortgage loan company in Orange.

President Bill Verostek of Basic Mortgage Group said all his 800 MY MONEY lines were swamped for three hours by “thousands upon thousands of very irate people” eager to dump on lawmakers their complaints about taxes, missed benefit payments and the state of their government in general.

“My poor receptionist was just getting blasted by rude, obscene calls,” said Verostek. “I’m a mortgage company. Rates haven’t been lower in decades. My business is starting to take off like crazy, and then I’m hit with this. I can’t do business with real clients. I lost an enormous amount of money.”

In Sacramento, embarrassed aides to Senate leader David A. Roberti (D-Van Nuys) blamed the foul-up on “miscommunication” with Pacific Bell and scrambled to find a new 800 number.

Roberti announced Wednesday morning at a press conference that starting Sept. 1, Californians could call the catchy 800 MY MONEY number and make their cost-saving suggestions that would be examined by the Wilson Administration and the Legislature.

Soon afterward, news broadcasters put the number on the air along with the caveat that the program wouldn’t start until next month. But callers from throughout California couldn’t wait to unload and swamped all 23 of Verostek’s lines for three hours.

Verostek said that when he finally sorted through the confusion and figured out what had happened, he ordered his employees to explain the mix-up and give callers Roberti’s telephone number in Sacramento.

Senate staff members claim they proposed the toll-free number to Pacific Bell about a month ago and were led to believe that although it was already in use by Verostek, it would be turned over to the Legislature on Sept. 1. They said since they did not hear further from the telephone company, they assumed the number was clear for the Legislature’s use.

But a harried Verostek said he would not give the number to the state of California. “I own this number and there is no way, shape or form that I am going to give it up,” he said. “If people want a loan, they can call my number. If they want to gripe, call some other number.”